Gay-Neck (1928) — Barton Ranks 'Em

Contents:

• GAY-NECK BY DHAL GOPAL MERJI
• GAY-NECK: THE STORY OF A PIGEON OVERVIEW
• GAY NECK BY MERJI, 1927 (19 RULTS)
• GAY-NECK

GAY-NECK BY DHAL GOPAL MERJI

Publishg Released 1927, the poignant children’s novel Gay Neck was wrten by an Indian immigrant who beme the first person of lor to w the Newbery Medal. Pengu Young RearsIn 1927, the thor Dhan Gopal Merji published a slim novel, Gay Neck: The Story of a Pigeon, which follows the adventur of the tular Calcutta rrier bird, and the bird’s young owner, Ghond. Gay Neck (referrg to the bird’s Bengali name, Chra Griva) sympathetilly portrays a bond between a young boy and his beloved pigeon as they enunter hawks and tigers the jungl of Bengal and elu German fire France durg World War I.

GAY-NECK: THE STORY OF A PIGEON OVERVIEW

When Gay Neck and Ghond return to India after their ary service, they are battle-srred.

” War leav Gay Neck fearful and unable to fly. The magaze The Horn Book said of the novel: “Gay Neck is tly a rrier pigeon, a bearer of msag, and his msag are words of urage and love. ” The New Republic lled Gay Neck “a distguished ntributn, ” and praised Boris Artzybasheff’s illtratns as “altogether betiful.

GAY NECK BY MERJI, 1927 (19 RULTS)

He’s wily nsired the first Indian Amerin who succsfully wrote for Amerin dienc, and Gay Neck was his fourth book for young, 90 years on, this once-celebrated book, which has remaed prt sce s publitn, is rarely mentned discsns of racial and ethnic diversy books for kids, as if Merji were some sort of aberratn rather than an early chapter of what uld have been.

“By all reckong, Gay Neck should have tablished a publishg trend, but didn’t for many plited reasons, ” she told Neck and Merji found unlikely succs nearly a century ago thanks to the llisn of a number of forc, both personal and historil—cludg Merji’s prodig talent, U. Creasg numbers the early s of the 20th century, formed lerary muni, and accumulated pal, and which the publishg of South Asian books for children flourished followg the mercial succs of Gay Neck. The rise and quiet disappearance of Gay Neck is not only a remr of how publishg succs wax and wan wh shifts groups’ social and enomic pal, but also how erasure hurts and reprentatn do, fact, matter to ntemporary narrativ about art.

Gay-Neck by Dhal Gopal MerjiGay-Neck is, hands down, the bt tle to w the Newbery Medal as of 2020.

GAY-NECK

What is a gay-neck? What mak gay? Is only the neck that’s gay, or are some other body parts at least bi-cur?

Is a book about a gay pigeon? Is there somethg particularly gay about pigeon necks?

Alas, Gay-Neck is not the bt book to w the Newbery Medal, as ’s simply a story about a pigeon named Gay-Neck.